Insulin pump limit troubles patientsStephanie Rodenberg-Lewis wasn't happy with her insulin pump and finally switched two years ago to another brand. Now her health insurer is pushing her to go back. UnitedHealth Group Inc. has made a deal with device maker Medtronic that will slash options for diabetics who use the portable pumps, which costs thousands of dollars. The move has angered Rodenberg-Lewis and others who will be limited to three pump choices instead of nine. Health i...

Atkins School Board to begin new programATKINS — The Atkins School Board met Monday night to hear a presentation on The HUB, review test scores and approve bids. Jason Burkman of Arch Ford Cooperatives gave a presentation explaining The HUB to school board members. A description of The HUB shown on a slide of the presentation read, “A waiver issued to the participating districts will enable districts flexible seat time to offer a choice for students and their parents within the publ...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared before District Judge Don Bourne during felony bond hearings on Monday inside the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts have been listed. They will appear in Pope County Circuit Court at a later date. â ˘ Katlyn M. Gilbert, 24, possession of a controlled substance -- $5,000. â ˘ Jessica D. Freeman, 32, possession of a controlled substance -- $7,500.

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Compiled by Travis SimpsonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

CPD search yields drugsOn Thursday, July 7, the Clarksville Police Department executed a search warrant at an address on East Bean Street in Clarksville. The residence, occupied by Dustin Sexton and Jenna Jones, has been the focus of a long investigation into the selling of illegal narcotics in Clarksville. The search yielded several suspected narcotics including methamphetamine, LSD, ecstasy, marijuana and narcotic-using paraphernlia. Sexton and Jones were transpor...

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COURIER STAFF REPORTSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Russellville Fire chief search down to 7Members of the Russellville City Council's Personnel Committee reviewed resumes from the seven candidates for the next Fire Department chief during their meeting Monday. Human Resources Director Tanessa Vaughn said 25 originally applied, including two from RFD, three from the state and the other four from across the country. The seven reviewed Monday were: Interim RFD Chief Terry Kirk Slone; Capt. Daniel Roe, RFD; Joseph Gorman, fire chief, Lo...

Pokémon Go has taken the world by stormPokémon Go has taken the world by storm, and the Arkansas River Valley is no exception. Hundreds of would-be Pokémon trainers have hit the streets with a singular goal -- to catch 'em all. You've already seen them scouring your neighborhood, invading city parks and romping through just about every retail store in the area. But let's start at the beginning: what exactly is Pokémon Go? Pokémon Go is a augmented reality game (ARG) for iOS and And...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Box allegedly assaults womanRichard A. Box, 60, rolled his eyes as he listened to the police report read by District Judge Don Bourne on Monday during felony bond hearings. According to the report, Box threw a female to the ground during an argument and choked her until "she couldn't breathe." Bourne set Box's bond at $5,000 after he determined there was probable cause to hold him on charges of aggravated assault. Box was arrested on Sunday at approximately 9:07 p.m. aft...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Dardanelle City Council approves closure of portion of Maple StreetDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle City Council met Tuesday to discuss closing part of Maple Street, hear committee reports and approve agreements with Friendship Community Care. A resolution to consider closing a portion of Maple Street was passed. Per the resolution, the easternmost portion of Maple Street beginning at the intersection of Maple Street and Brearley Drive would be closed. According to Mayor Carolyn McGee, by closing this section of t...

Section of El Paso Ave. closedCrews work Monday morning to relocate utilities for the future Russellville Central Fire Station to be located off of North El Paso Avenue next to the 500 Building. A section of El Paso Avenue between West Main Street and B Street will be closed off to traffic this week while work continues. Motorists are advised to find alternate routes. THE COURIER / Joshua Mashon

Police arrest man, 23, in assault caseJames A. Boren, 23, was arrested for allegedly attacking a pregnant woman at approximately 10:32 p.m. on Sunday. Boren appeared before District Judge Don Bourne for felony bond hearings on Monday inside the Pope County Detention Center, where his bond was set at $10,000 for aggravated assault. Russellville police responded to the 600 block of West 4th Place in reference to a physical disturbance, where they observed a "light colored Tahoe" lea...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

HR director offers job passionDonna Ashley understands that Pope County is entering a new era, as the county's first human resources director begins work next month. Ashley, a Cleburne County native, told the Pope County Quorum Court during her introduction at the July meeting that she has devoted 20 years to this field because she enjoys showing people that they can be all they can be -- whether it's 200 employees or over 1,500. "I appreciate this opportunity," she said. ...

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BY SEAN INGRAMsean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Gum named GAC Female Athlete of the YearArkansas Tech University junior softball player Jalissa Gum collected another piece of hardware for her trophy case on Monday as the Great American Conference honored her as its Female Athlete of the Year. Gum's selection marks the third consecutive year that a Golden Suns student-athlete has been recognized as the Female Student-Athlete of the Year by the GAC, following basketball player Roselis Silva in 2012-13 and golfer Rebecka Surtevall i...

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ATU Athletic CommunicationsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

School board petition cutoff set for todayFOR THE COURIER The deadline for School Board Petitions is 12 p.m. today. As of Monday evening the following have filed petitions to be on the ballot for the 2016 School Election for board of director: Rusty Janssen, five-year term at Dover School District; Carolyn Cook, five-year term at Hector School District; David Potts, five-year term at Pottsville School District; Kristin Teeter, four-year term at Pottsville School District; Chris Cloud,...

Pottsville resident places in "phoneography" exhibitThe third annual Explore Arkansas exhibit kicked off Friday at A Conversation Piece in Russellville. Tommy Wallace, the founder of @ArkMoPhs features “phoneography,” photos taken and edited strictly on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and iPads from across Arkansas. Each year @ArkMoPhs has a competition and features the Explore Arkansas exhibit. This year’s competition theme was People, Places and Things of Arkansas. Doug Nordin of ...

Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus receives grantArkansas Tech Career Center, a technical and career training entity operated by Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus, will soon have enhanced capacity to deliver automation technology education and greater rural access to career education because of a grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. The grant of $664,325 will allow Arkansas Tech Career Center (ATCC) to prepare secondary students at the 16 high schools that it serves as...

Local officers receive support after Dallas shootingsA mystery man surprised the Pope County Sheriff's Office with breakfast Friday morning claiming he wanted to show officers how much they are appreciated in the wake of the shootings that claimed the lives of five Dallas Police officers. It was a small gesture, but an important one, Ramona Woods, administrative assistant to the sheriff, said. "We are human beings like anybody else," she said. "We appreciate any kindness at all." The man, who de...

Locals spread beauty throughout communityDick and Rita Goodman moved to Russellville in 2003. In a little more than a decade, they have helped the art community grow to new heights. From the paintings displayed in Fat Daddy's to the black and white celebrity paintings in a downtown alley, the Goodmans are always finding ways to add character to Russellville. The couple met years back when they were both working in Little Rock. Rita lived in Little Rock working as an accountant for En...